Shotgun cartridges that fire solid projectiles are commonly called slugs or slug cartridges (they are also called slug assemblies herein). Local game management agencies often require that slug cartridges be used for hunting purposes, especially in heavily populated areas.
Generally, cartridges which are reloadable are advantageous as they allow sportsmen to load and reload their own ammunition, thereby resulting in substantial financial savings. Such financial savings allow sportsmen to more frequently practice (because it does not cost as much to practice) such that the sportsmen become better marksmen and, therefore, more humane hunters. Also, reloadable cartridges are advantageous because they allow skilled sportsmen to produce higher performance ammunition (for example, by adding or diminishing the amount of gun powder loaded into the cartridge, or by varying type and weight of the projectile, based on specific end uses).
Conventional cartridge components which can be assembled and loaded to produce reloadable, non-slug cartridges generally exist. However, such conventional cartridge components are generally flawed because special machinery and tools are required for assembly and loading. Specifically, special machinery and tools are necessary to precisely measure the amount of propulsive charge, such as gun powder, to be loaded into the cartridge components. Also, special machinery and tools (such as a loading press) are required to assemble the cartridge components such that the gun powder located therein is placed under a predetermined amount of pressure. As is well known, such pressure is necessary to achieve uniform burn of the gun powder, particularly for fast burning types of gun powder which are normally used as hunting loads. Further, special machinery and tools (such as crimping tools) are required to secure the cartridge components together (by crimping, for example). Further, weight scales for precise measuring of powder charge may also be required.
While conventional cartridge components which can be assembled and loaded to produce reloadable, non-slug cartridges exist, cartridge components which can be assembled and loaded to produce reloadable, slug cartridges are not generally available. This is particularly true since most conventional loading presses do not allow for convenient reloading of slug cartridges. Additionally, conventional slug cartridge components which do exist generally suffer from the same flaws which exist in conventional non-slug cartridge components (as described above). Thus, in areas where local game management agencies require the use of slug cartridges for hunting purposes, or when sportsmen prefer using slug cartridges, sportsmen are forced to rely on and use expensive, fully assembled and loaded slug cartridges.
The present invention is directed to slug cartridge components which can be easily, accurately and dependably assembled by hand using simple tools to produce reloadable slug assemblies, wherein the slug assemblies include features for achieving enhanced and reliable aerodynamic performance, such as accurate and dependable flight when fired from a firearm. The slug cartridge components of the present invention have the following attributes: integrally molded retaining means for retaining the loaded form (that is, for securing the slug cartridge components together in the slug assembly), means for measuring the proper amount of gunpowder, means for applying an appropriate and consistent amount of pressure to the gunpowder, means of repeatable alignment of components, self-wiping means to insure proper containment of gunpowder, means to insure mechanical engagement of components during the critical period of primer ignition, and means for preventing the projectile from inadvertently moving until a precise level of pressure is reached. The present invention also includes the slug assembly which results from assembling and loading the slug cartridge components.